Differential commutation-ticket.



PATENTBD MAY 17, 1904.

Gr. Tl. "SARGENT. DIFFERENTIAL GUMMUTATION TICKET.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6. i903.

H0 MODEL.

` accompanied by other parties.

UNITED STATES Patented May 1'?, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

DIFFERENTIAL COIVINIUTATION-TICKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Nov 760,155, dated May 17,1904.

Appiication filed April 6, 1903. Serial No. 151,353. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. SARG-ENT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohicago, in the State of Illinois, have invented a certainnew and useful Differential Commutation-Ticket, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention especially relates to that class of railway tickets knownas trip tickets or commutation tickets, such as are used by railways andother transportation companies for the purpose of furnishing regularpassengers with a conventional form of tickets good for a given numberof trips or for a given length of time. It is especially designed tomeet the demand for tickets in which there are provisions both for theordinary limited time personal use trip and also for additional tripswhich may be made by any party accompanying the owner of the ticket andat any time until used up. rI`he objects are to avoid the inconvenienceof having a ticket which must be used a certain number oftimes within afixed period of time, whereby it frequently happens that the ticket isnot all used up before the end of the time; and also the furtherinconvenience of being required to pay extra full fare whenever theowner of the ticket is Further objects are to provide a ticket for thepurpose speciiied which readily indicates on its face the use and modeof manipulation and readily presents differential coupons for the twopurposes. The ordinary custom is for a regular traveler upon a givenline of road to buy a commutation ticket which has coupons, on thesupposition that he will take two rides a day over the road, but ithappens more often than otherwise that the 60 coupons are not used upwithin the month, wherefore there is great waste.

The objects of my invention in part, are to provide a ticket which hassome coupons restricted to the regular and personal use of the ticketholder, and an additional number to be used either by him or by others.By this means it is possible to use up the entire ticket whether it isall used by the ticket holder or not. Other objects of my invention areto make a clear distinction on the ticket between the personal couponsfor the regular traveler and those which may be used by him or othersindifferently, and to render the present condition of the ticket at anytime evident at a glance.

I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing a preferred form of myticket, where it will be seen that the contract is printed in the centerof the ticket and around two of the sides are the regularnon-transferable coupons d, for the ticket holder while around the othersides. are placed a series of coupons a, marked 51 to 60 on thedrawing', which are made in a different color or design from thosemarked 2 to 50 and are upon a separate portion of the ticket. Therespective ends a, c, of the ticket have removable stubs, one for theagent and one for the auditor of the road. The auditors stub at the topof the figure is intended to be removed by the conductor upon the firstride of the ticket-'holder and the agents stub at the bottom to beremoved upon sale of the ticket. Bothof the stubs are marked with thelimiting stations as is ordinary. Preferably I print upon the center ofthe ticket the contract in the following words:

Fifty Rides Printed in Red, Good for the Y Use of which Expire M;*u190m., and Ten Rides Printed in Blue, Good for the Use of Bearer, whichexpire one Year from the Date of Issue.

and

the ticket has an elastic limit forthe use of the ticket and by using'1() of them for others than himself may use up the entire ticket eachmonth and thus a great saving is attained.

The same device may of course be applied to other commutation ticketsthan those used TOO upon railways; and its many advantages will readilyoccur to those familiar with its use.

It will be understood of course, that instead of diiering colors beingused to distinguish the sets of tick-ets, they may be distinguished inany other v-glylesired. And it will be understood that the particularJform of the contract is not essential to the invention, but any kind orform of contract may be used in the body of the ticket.

By this arrangement the added value of the ticket, and its convenience,will enable the railroad to charge a higher price, sell more tickets,and simplify the accounts; while at the same time the ticket hasadditional value to the passenger because there is no waste and becauseof its use for the two purposes. The set of tickets c having a doubleuse are in effect coupons of higher value than the ordinary coupons Nos.2 to 50.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, -what Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is the following:

1; A differential commutation ticket having coupons in one groupindicated as limited to a particular person and a certain short time,and coupons in another group unlimited as to personal use and limited toa longer time.

2. A commutation ticket having' a series of coupons marked anddistinguished by a contract on the ticket as for individual use andanother series of coupons unlimited as to personal use, the two groupsbeing distinguished by different colors, substantially as described.

3. A commutation ticket consisting of a body part containing a contractand a series of coupons marked and distinguished by the contract aslimited as to time and another series of coupons limited to a longertime, substantially as described.

4. A commutation ticket consisting of a body part containing a contractand a series of coupons marked and distinguished by the contract aslimited to person and another series of coupons unlimited as to person,substantially as described.

5. A differential commutation ticket consisting of a body partcontaining a contract and separate groups of coupons, one group markedand distinguished by the contract as limited to a short time and to aperson, the other not limited to a short time or to a person, saidticket having at one end an agents stub and at the other end an auditorsstub, substantially as described.

6. A differential commutation ticket consisting ot. a body partcontaining a contract and a continuous series of coupons `segregatedinto groups, the groups being marked and specified as of differentlimitation of time for use.

7. A ticket comprising in combination, an explanatory contract and acontinuous consecutively numbered series of coupons, a part of saidcoupons being marked and distinguished bythe contract as of differentduration and applicability of use from the rest, and being distinguishedtherefrom by dierent color or texture, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunder signed my name in the presence ofthe two subscribed Witnesses.

i GEORGE H. SARGENT.

Witnesses:

PAUL CARPENTER, EDWARD C. BURNS.

